With as many music videos as I’ve seen in my lifetime (even dating back to the days of good ol’ MTV), the more I’ve come to realize that I only ever actually care for music videos in which the band/artist is hardly in them, if at all. I don’t want to see people miming their performances with unplugged instruments out in the middle of a field or in a massive empty warehouse filled with dozens of tube lights. I like seeing a visual companion piece that exists alongside the music, giving it another dimension to further appreciate the song captured within (three stellar examples of many; one, two, and three). Anyways, although these videos typically end up only being a few minutes long, it is so much more enjoyable when as much thought and creativity that was put into the song itself also goes into the accompanying visual components.
Of these music videos that actually contribute something to the music as opposed to being a contractual obligation from a record label, often times we get these visual works that intentionally leave the listener with more questions at the end than they had at the beginning. The music then gets to serve as a spiritual narrator of sorts, giving some context to the mysterious nature of the video. Anyways, all this lead up is an overly roundabout way to introduce BOY WITCH, as Everything Is Noise is here today with an exclusive advance video premiere for their new single, “Ghost”. You can probably guess that what we have today will not be an industry standard music video, but rather a mysteriously eerie visual experience rich with intrigue. I’ll leave BOY WITCH himself to set the stage even further on “Ghost”:
‘It’s the kind of darkness where every shadow seems to breathe, where voices slip between the trees and brush against your senses, sensing your presence long before you understand your place in the woods. Yet as you move deeper into the unknown, something shifts. The fear that once pressed against the ribs loosens. The whispers no longer threaten; they guide. And in that eerie, moonlit quiet, relief blooms. Subtle at first, then steady like finally exhaling after holding your breath far too long.‘
Heavily inspired by Queens of the Stone Age and Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Berlin-based BOY WITCH is set to release their debut, self-titled album on April 17 through Green Man Records. The video for “Ghost” is one that leaves an unsettling feeling in you, similar to what the main protagonist is experiencing, fearfully trying to navigate herself out of the dreary woods that she finds herself in. The visual exposition effectively complements the dark and moody tones captured in the music.
Speaking of the music, the first thing that immediately stands out is the hypnotically satisfying rhythm repeating on the cymbals; I’m a sucker for some tight cymbal-play. With the vocals, I get this late-era Ulver smoothness with a hint of The Cure, especially with their melancholic guitar leads and synthwork/atmospherics that create this psychedelic ‘musical forest’ that one can get helplessly lost in, only to eventually find themselves in the middle of a ritual that they were desperately trying to avoid, as if it was their destiny right from the start.
This dark, semi-gothic rock with plenty of dreamy synth pop influence makes for an interesting musical amalgam that I am eager to hear in full. Although I don’t yet know what the fate of our video protagonist based on the open-ended manner in which it closes out, I’d like for the rest of the successive songs to guide me in what is to come. BOY WITCH has certainly pulled me in, how about you? If so, swing by their Bandcamp and Instagram to stay in the know of all things witchy.
